ABSTRACT
In the early 1900s, segregation was a significant problem in the United States. During World War I, White American soldiers and Black American soldiers were assigned to completely separate regiments and were not allowed to share the same quarters, train together, or fight together. The German soldiers immediately recognized their tough fighting skills and started calling them the Hollenkampfer or Hellfighters. The Hellfighters spent 191 days in front line trenches, longer than any other American unit. During this time, they never had any of their men captured and they never lost any ground. At the end of the war, 171 members of the 369th Infantry were awarded the Legion of Honor or the Croix de guerre.
